Classes & Programs

Visual Art

Visual Arts Division

Keeping true to our founder’s original vision of encompassing both performing and visual arts in one’s overall arts education, MCA’s Visual Art division offering a variety of classes, workshops and multi-arts summer camps! Past and current offerings include: Ways of Watercolor, Carnival in the Snow, Create a Comic, Exploring Sculpture, Funtastic BookArts, Intro to Mosaic, Figure Drawing, Still Life Drawing, and the Winona Arts Camp. Workshops are held throughout the year for all ages in The Monet Room at MCA’s Valéncia Arts Center. Our Carnival in the Snow workshop was a part of the Winona Winter Carnival and was feature in theWinona Daily News and our Seeding Vitality Arts Intergenerational Collage workshop was featured in the Winona Post.

Galleria Valéncia

Another important aspect of the Visual Arts Division at MCA is our gallery, Galleria Valéncia, at the Valéncia Arts Center (located down the long hallway that takes you to Studio 1 and the Karate Do Jo). Galleria Valéncia hosts visual art works from Winona area schools, Winona Area Homeschoolers, local organizations, professional artists, and student works from the Minnesota Marine Art Museum and MCA in Throughout the year different exhibits delight all of the students, families, audience members and gallery visitors. Galleria Valencia is open during office hours as well as anytime classes or performances are in progress Monday- Sunday. Stop by and enjoy the featured talents of local artists.

MCA hosts visual art works from Winona area schools, local professional artists, and student work from the Minnesota Marine Art Museum and MCA in Galleria Valéncia, at the Valéncia Arts Center, 1164 West 10th Street, Winona. Throughout the academic year different schools and organizations display works of their student artists. Galleria Valencia is open during the center’s office hours and when programming is in session. Stop by and enjoy the featured talents of local youth artists.

Visual Art Classes

Family Arts Academy Workshops

Seeding Vitality Art Workshops

“Frozen” Dance and Art Adventure Workshop

There will be miles of smiles as students dance and craft their way through a magical journey unleashing their imaginations in this workshop centered around the movie “ Frozen” and perfectly timed to align with Winona’s Winter Carnival celebration and Frozen River Film Festival.

Day/Time: Saturday, Feb. 9th, 12:15 pm- 2:15 pm

Ages: Preschool (3-5 years) & K-2nd grade

Price: $19 (snack included)

Location: TBA ( either at MCA or Winona State University to make it even easier for Parents who want their children to participate in a fun activity while they attend a film set from the Frozen River Film Festival.)

NEW! Mixed Media Extravaganza

Get ready to expand your art technique tool box and flex your creative muscles while you learn to create unique mixed media artwork. New techniques such as texture, layering, stenciling, and composition will be introduced each week as you collage with new, recycled, and other found materials.

Day/Dates: Mondays, Jan. 7-28

Times: 4:30-5:30 pm, grades 1-3

5:30-6:30 pm. grades 4+

Instructor(s): Brianna Haupt

Price: $59

NEW! 3-D Magic

Warm-up your hands, it’s time to sculpt, fold, and engineer art that pops off the page or stands on its own. MCA will provide materialsfrom clay to wires and colorful paper, all you have to bring is your imagination and be ready to learn new techniques.

Cost: $64Instructor: Brianna Haupt

Day/Dates: Mondays, Feb. 18– March 18

Times: 4:30–5:30 pm, grades 1-35:30–6:30 pm, grades 4+

Instructor(s): Brianna Haupt

Price: $64

May the 4th be with you....Create a Comic Workshop

This workshop is in celebration of the holiday Free Comic Book Day (Always the first Saturday in May) and Star Wars Day (May the 4th). During the workshop young artists will celebrate the art of comic books and learn about how to create their very own comic. Drawing comics is a great way to promote literacy skills and for kids to flex their creative muscles.

Day/Time: Saturday, May 4th, K-2nd grade, 9-10 am

3rd-5th grade,10:15-11:45 am

6th grade+, Noon-1:45 pm

Price: $15 (all supplies)

Instructor: Biranna Haupt

Kids Night Out

Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts is so pleased to partner with the Page Series to offer childcare on-site at MCA's home, the Valencia Arts Center while parents enjoy the KEIGWIN + COMPANY's "Places Please!" Kids will be engaged in a variety of activities that will tickle their creative muscles and be provided with a snack. Tickets for "Places Please!" can be purchased through Pagetheatre.org.

Day/Time: Saturday, Nov. 10, 6:15 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. ("Places Please!" begins at 7 p.m., so parents will have time to get kids settled, grab a drink and then enjoy the show)

Ages: Open to potty-trained kids 3 years & up.

Price: $12 per child (snack included)

2019 PTA Reflections

Since 1969, the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Reflections program has encouraged students across the nation to explore their artistic talents. The PTA Reflections program is designed to promote cultural arts in schools, encouraging students to create works of art in visual arts, photography, literature, music, dance, film and special artist categories. Every March since 2016 the walls of Galleria Valéncia have been adorned with all of the Minnesota state winners visual arts division of the 2018 Minnesota State PTA Reflections program. That will still be the case in 2019, but the newest development is that MCA is now a registered Northstar Minnesota PTA unit in good standing and any area youth in Preschool-Twelfth Grade is able to submit a work into the Reflections program now- Jan. 15, 2019. The program is open to any area youth that has been an MCA student within the past year, as long as the student’s school does not have a PTA unit regardless if they attend a public, private, charter school or are home educated.

Homeschool Visual Art Show

The 4th annual Winona Area Homeschool Art show will take place January 2019. It is free to participate in this show and it is open to homeschool students of all ages, announcements will be made through the Winona Area Homeschoolers, but others may contact Megan at: 507-453-5500 or mca@smumn.edu for details. Items for the show may be dropped off starting Dec. 1st. Students are encouraged to submit more than one piece of art (only 2-D pieces that are can be tapped or pinned on the wall, framed pieces with hanging hardware attached can also be submitted.) and as space permits extra pieces will be hung. View the current Galleria Valencia Schedule.

The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (MCA) is excited to announce that the walls of Galleria Valéncia at MCA will be decorated by a unique exhibit featuring the residents from Saint Anne Extended Health Care. During an 8-week course, these artists created with oil and chalk pastels, charcoal, clay, collage materials, pencils and more under the instruction of MCA Teaching Artist, Jennifer TeBeest. The community is invited to come celebrate the exhibit opening and meet the artists on Tuesday, Nov. 6th, 9:45am-10:45am.

On Wednesday, Nov. 7, 5:30-6:30pm the community is invited to a celebration and opening of the exhibit at the Winona Friendship Center (251 Main Street, Winona, MN 55987), where they can meet and greet the artists, walk through the exhibit and enjoy treats. Visitors will love the variety of techniques represented from wet on wet to still life paintings.

Since 1969, the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Reflections program has encouraged students across the nation to explore their artistic talents. The PTA Reflections program is designed to promote cultural arts in schools, encouraging students to create works of art in visual arts, photography, literature, music, dance, film and special artist categories. Every March since 2016 the walls of Galleria Valéncia have been adorned with all of the Minnesota state winners visual arts division of the 2018 Minnesota State PTA Reflections program. That will still be the case in 2019, but the newest development is that MCA is now a registered Northstar Minnesota PTA unit in good standing and any area youth in Preschool-Twelfth Grade is able to submit a work into the Reflections program now- Jan. 15, 2019. The program is open to any area youth that has been an MCA student within the past year, as long as the student’s school does not have a PTA unit regardless if they attend a public, private, charter school or are home educated.